Terrorism vs Organized Crime

What is the definition of terrorism? How would you differentiate between organized crime and terrorism? What is a specific instance in which organized crime and terrorism were viewed as the same or different? What are the motivations of a terrorist group? How may we improve our responses to such organizations, which operate in the United States and internationally?

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Terrorism can be identified as the, "use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, especially for political purposes" (Dictionary.com). Terrorism and organized crime share some characteristics such as threats, violence, and intimidation. The difference between the two lies with the fundamental goal. For terrorism, the goal is to create fear by using violence in order to achieve a goal. Much of international terrorism is religiously motivated. For example, Jihadist disagrees with the Western influence on their ancient and sacred lifestyles. Jihadists also believe that the only religion is Muslim and that Allah is the only God. All people who don't believe in Allah should be condemned. When the United States aide foreign countries in war, many Islamic terrorists will kill and attack using terroristic means to deliver a point. In the example given, a terrorist may detonate a car bomb, killing many innocent people with demands for ...